The Fallen: House Mudae
A House Despised: The Unforgiven
For ten years, House Mudae's dragons burned the world. Shadow riders descended at dawn. Cities became tombs. A generation of children knew nothing but fire and fear. The war ended only three years ago. The graves are still fresh. The orphans are still children. The widows still wear black.
House Mudae is not simply unpopular, they are hated with a fury that borders on religious. Almost everyone in the Isles lost someone to dragon fire. To wear the Mudae name is to wear the blood of thousands. Some houses refuse to acknowledge them. Others actively work toward their extinction. Choosing House Mudae means choosing the hardest path imaginable: redemption in a world that wants you dead, surrounded by people who remember exactly what your family did to theirs.
Prince Lucaemion Mudae
Prince Lucaemion Mudae is the youngest son of the fallen tyrant Rhaenor Mudae, the Dragon Lord whose shadow riders burned cities for a decade, whose cruelty united the realm against him, whose name is still cursed in every tavern and temple across the Isles.
Despite his lineage, Lucaemion turned against his father's tyranny. Whether out of honor, revenge, or naked ambition, he helped cause Rhaenor's downfall during the Great War. The debates about his true motives continue to this day: was he a hero, or simply the smartest rat fleeing a sinking ship? Afterward, Lucaemion humbly pledged himself to the Celestial Court, seeking redemption for crimes he did not commit but whose legacy he cannot escape.
He works to restore honor to House Mudae and reclaim the noble traditions of dragon riding, traditions that existed before his father corrupted them. But the road is long, the hatred is deep, and many would rather see the last Mudae dead than redeemed. Three years is not enough time to forget. Some wounds never heal.
Is redemption possible for a name soaked in blood? That question will be answered in the choices made, the alliances forged, and the enemies overcome. House Mudae's story is not finished but it will be written in fire, one way or another.
"Lucaemion turned on his own father. His own FATHER. Some call that heroic. I call it practical. The boy saw which way the wind was blowing and made sure he was on the winning side when the fire stopped. Hero? Maybe. Survivor? Definitely. Trustworthy? Ask me again in ten years. If he lives that long." (A cynical merchant in a Suncoast tavern)
"I don't care what he did at Dragonspine. I don't care that he helped kill his father. My wife burned. My children burned. They burned screaming, and Mudae dragons did it. You want me to shake his hand? To call him 'redeemed'? The Celestials can grant all the mercy they want. I grant none." (A Thalorian widower, fists clenched)
"I served with Lucaemion at the end. Fought beside him at the Peak. He didn't have to be there. Could have stayed behind, stayed safe, let others kill his father. Instead he climbed that mountain with the rest of us. Bled with us. And when the moment came... he didn't hesitate. I'm not saying forgive House Mudae. I'm saying that boy earned something. What, I don't know. But something." (A soldier who was there)